A New Look At Love
by Angelic Wings
Summary: Previously, "Siren's Song". When things go wrong with his best friend's love life, will Shuichi step in and play negotiator... Or will he himself get tossed into the mix? YYH//SM


When things go wrong with his best friend's love life, will Shuichi step in and play negotiator... Or will he himself get tossed into the mix?

Okay, so this is the _2nd _re-write of this story. I look back over and over and feel a lot like a four-year-old wrote the chapters. I certainly hope 6 months of maturing will make this more recent version much, much better.

I also won't delete the story for those of you who had alters set up.

Oh! Thanks for 3,000 hits!

* * *

**Prologue**

* * *

The blond trotted quietly beside him, a pleasant smile plastered to her face. Shichi met her before and so he'd known her name, but he'd never actually talked to her. Though she was always talking, it never seemed to be to him. Usagi always had herself wrapped up in Mamoru. Her arm linked with his; and it was Mamoru whom her cheery voice was directed.

Shuichi smiled to himself; he might have been jealous if she could walk and chew bubble gum without falling down. He had to admit, though, that she was very pretty. Although she was short for her age, Usagi well stood out from a crowd. Contrary to the average dark hair that surrounded her, she had hair the color of sunlight. Long and flowing, it was balled on either side of her head and left to cascade down in two pig tails, ending at her calves. Her eyes, though, were what stood out most to him. They were the color of a clear summer sky, just before the moon peaked into the horizon; a sweet azure that sparkled like stars.

After only a few weeks into summer vacation, it already felt like he was floating through some half-asleep dream; everything he'd done being mashed into one long outing. He couldn't remember where it started or where it ended. Now, Mamoru, Motoki, Kaito, Usagi and himself were heading to a park.

The sun had just peaked in the sky, and the ground below them was baked warm. The meal they'd just finished was settling in their bellies, making most of them lethargic and ready for a nap. Shuchi was just settling himself against a tree, his eyes drooping down when someone set themselves next to him.

"The flowers smell so nice," though muffled by a yawn, the happiness in her voice was not drowned. Usagi smiled at him and rubbed her eyes before turning her face to the sun. "It's warm, too."

Shuichi smiled, closing his eyes again. "Yes. It is pleasant here." A long moment of silence passed and he'd thought she'd forgotten their conversation. He was just beginning to doze off when she began to sing.

"And all the roads that lead you there are winding.. And all the lights that light the way blinding. There are many things I'd like to say to you but I don't know how... I said maybe, you're gonna be the one that saves me. And after all, you're my wonderwall..."

Shuichi blinked, now fully awake. Sure, it wasn't exactly on-tune, but it was still very pretty coming from her. "Is that American?"

Usagi smiled. "Yeah. It's kind of old, though, so I like it. My dad listens to it a lot..." Before long, the both of them had drifted off into a summer nap. He wasn't sure if only a few minutes had passed or a few hours, but he was rudely awakened by Usagi's horrified shriek.

She rushed a few apologies to the group, all rubbing their eyes in confusion, and ran off. A faint echo of, "Momma's gonna kill me!" was the last they heard before the rabbit dashed out of sight.

Mamoru sighed in annoyance, "She's always like that." Kaito in turn chuckled and nodded along, posing a single question.

"Then why do you stay with her?" A silence fell upon Mamoru as he started for an answer. He would begin speaking only to pause, open his mouth and fall silent again.

"The simplest answer," he said, "is that I just like her."

This would be the last time the group was together as a whole.

* * *

**Chapter One**: The great blue sky

* * *

Only a week later, a heat wave had moved in. The news anchor-men on every channel said it had been the hottest summer on record. Children had vacated the parks and playgrounds for cooler games inside and ice cream and frozen treat sales had hit an all-time high.

Shuichi's step-brother, also named Shuichi, had been pleading to see a movie for weeks. Finally, in spite of the heat, Shiori had given him permission to go only if the older of the two accompanied. She gave them enough for their tickets and snacks and sent them on their way.

What should have been a short stroll just a few blocks over became an exhausting trek across boiling pavement. Shuichi, the older of the two, began to regret not having brought a bottle of water along. He regretted deciding to take this trip.

"Shuchi!" The elder glanced at the younger. "We could skip the movie and go into the parlor." It was true, though. Crown Fruits Parlor was just down the street and it served cold snacks and beverages. It didn't take much convincing for the older brother to head straight into the building.

Their eyes took a moment to adjust to the dimmer environment of the parlor and arcade. While it was crowded, it didn't take long for the elder to spot a familiar blonde in the corner booth. She was surrounded by an unfamiliar group of girls. He opened his mouth to call out to her when there was a tug on his sleeve.

"Shuichi? Is it alright if I hang out with my friends?" The red-head looked down at the younger boy.

"Um... Sure. Just stay close so I can find you." The younger brother ran off, anxious to roughhouse with his friends. This way, Shuichi realized, he would be able to talk with Usagi uninterrupted. Calmly he pardoned his way through the crowd, making his way back up towards her. Their quiet but none-the-less excited chatter drifted easily towards him, even through the roar of the other visitors. Before he could bring himself to her attention, her eyes glanced up at him. A wide grin overtook her mouth and she waved enthusiastically at him.

"Guys!" She cried to the girls around her. "That's who I told you about! That's Shuichi." All of them looked up at him- he counted six or seven of them- and a chorus of greetings were made to him. A great deal of shifting and fidgeting was done and, while he wasn't sure how they had managed, all eight of them had managed to squeeze into the booth initially intended for only four patrons.

"So," another blonde began. This one looked very similar to Usagi but some major differences were obvious. "How old are you? What school do you go-"

A brunette cut her off. "Do you have a girlfriend?!" What had started as a _completely normal _conversation had quickly escalated into a very awkward one indeed.

"Makoto, you should be more **polite**." A raven-haired girl chided the other. Usagi laughed nervously.

"Why don't I introduce my friends? Starting from the far right on my seat; Amy-" the blue-haired girl waved shyly at him, "Mina-" the blond from before blew a kiss, "Rei-" the raven-haired girl glanced up from her book, frowned, and returned to her reading,

"On the other side's far right is Makoto-" the brunette who had asked the alarming question laughed and apologized, stating he had in-fact "looked just like her old boyfriend", "Chibi-Usa; the brat-" The pink-haired child grew angry and began yelling, "And that's Hotaru." A small girl, a few years older than the pink-haired one smiled softly at him, then returned to trying to calm the child down.

They chatted together for a while until girls began leaving. Before long, only Usagi, Chibi-usa, and himself were left. It wasn't late or anything; the parlor had run out of ice and guests left to search for new places to keep cool.

* * *

That's it for the beginning! What might come next in our story? Will the heat die down or has it just started to climb?

Expect some unexpected situations, a bit of dancing, and a very wet bunny indeed.

See you next chapter!


End file.
